Jim Fair
The Planning Commission listened to 17 members of a community at Abner Creek Road and Joe Leonard Road who spoke against a planned subdivision. From the left are commissioners Clay Jones, commissioner Morris Burton, Susan Traenkle, Brian Martin and Chris Harrison.
Jim Fair
Virgil Smith signs to speak at the Planning Commission's meeting Tuesday night.
Jim Fair
As each person of the Abner Creek Road and Joe Leonard Road community voiced their opposition, they pointed to their property.
Jim Fair
The commission listened and questioned almost each person who spoke during Tuesday night's Planning Commission session.
What a difference a month makes. Tonight, it was the property owners surrounding the proposed Spring Creek subdivision that left confident that the development would be long to develop, if at all.
Property owners were ready to produce a covenant explaining the Milks were in violation. Instead 17 of the 24 citizens signed to speak before the commissioners.
Glenn Pace, City Planning and Zoning director, announced the Milks had sent word they were tabling their request until further notice. That essentially negated the commission hearing the groups concerns.
However, board commissioner Morris Burton invited each person who wanted to speak to do so. Seventeen did with many having a dialog with commissioners.
An application to rezone property at 107 Francis Street from commercial (C-2) to highway commercial (C-3), an auto repair shop, was approved by unanimous (7-0) vote during the business session.
And Commissioners reelected Burton as board chairman and Judy Jones as vice chair.
Brian Martin, commissioner, thanked the citizens for their input and suggested the comments will be remembered if and when the application was brought before the Planning Commission again.
Don Foster, a commissioner, said, "They all made excellent points and each added something different."
The homeowners’ comments centered on protecting a rural lifestyle and investing to keep their property value. Much of the discussion was on the narrow Joe Leonard Road and its safety with additional housing increasing higher traffic use.
The Milks have been successful developers with five subdivisions in the Upstate with their home sites ranging from the $180,000s to beginning sites over $500,000. Scott Milk has 27 years of experience and has been a licensed builder for 23 years. Diane is a real estate broker, licensed for over 9 years.
Below are the comments from the property owners. No one spoke for approval of the subdivision.
Kenny Garner
“We’ve had deed restrictions and they are still intact. We did a massive renovation to our house because of the deed restrictions. We want to keep the property intact and make our house more valuable.”
Mark Davidson
“We also remodeled. We believe the (developer) tried to remove the covenants. There’s a house on average every four acres and we want to keep that part of the covenant.”
John Newsome
“The only thing I want to add is that Joe Leonard (Road) is 11-feet wide. There are 48 homes planned. For this application to get this far with an 11-foot wide road is … who approved this?
Glenn Pace, City Planning and Zoning Coordinator, told Newsome: “There’s been no approval for this development. We just heard the annexation and zoning of the property.”
Newsome (also a developer of subdivisions): “We’re all in it to make money, but not at the expense of the community.”
Virgil Smith
“I’ve been living there 80 years. I’m concerned with the community itself. That many houses on that land would be a tragedy.”
Carrie Newsome
“I have an old historic home that I am moving there and will be living in the house. It’s on the historical registry."
Crystal Garner
“One thing I want you to be aware of. I am fully in support of the deed restrictions. There are acres of trees on that property and it disguises the subdivision behind it. If I wanted to move into a subdivision I would have. I feel like the subdivision is moving in with me. I also have three children and there is a severe blind spot on Joe Leonard Road.”
Yon Han Chong
“I bought my house from the (developer) last February (2012). The subdivision would put 25 houses in the back of our home. If that road takes six times more traffic, something will happen. I am scared to death.”
Joseph Grant
“I am in the city. The road is extremely narrow and dangerous. In the morning and afternoon several school buses travel the road, and we know how wide they are. You put 48 homes on 40 acres and I’m concerned if fire trucks, EMS and other emergency vehicles are on this road. Numerous times when I’ve been walking my dogs I have had to take evasive action.”
Matt Beckett
“I would rather that section of the road be left alone alone and not build.”
Susan Davidson
“I’m a stay-at-home mom and I'm always home and praying that nothing happens on that road. If a horse trailer or something would be on that road, I think something would happen. I’m a citizen of Greer. We’re a micro community. We are who we are. Sometimes it doesn’t come down to dollars, it comes down to people.”
Dr. Timothy Turner
“I’m here to support our neighbors. Abner Creek Road has access to BMW employees and they use our road as a speedway.”
James Sightler
“Thirty-five years ago I bought land from Joe Dillard. This land has grown up naturally. Everyone has their own land. The area has remained rural. I would hope the community would retain its character. “Mr. (Virgil) Smith played in that stream as a kid. People used that stream for feeding their animals and horses.”
Lynette Owen
“I have four children and been living here since 2001. I am very proactive for the safety of our area. With BMW, and the hospital (Village at Pelham) on the other end, we get a tremendous amount of traffic. I don’t think it would be a positive thing to have a subdivision there. It’s 40 miles per hour on Abner Creek Road and you’re supposed to be able to see 400 feet from the time you see a vehicle. From the stop sign at Abner Creek I can only see 100 feet from the right. I can see 145 feet from the left.
Jacqueline Bordel
“People have spent a lot of money renovating their property. My horses drink out of that creek. I don’t want solution in that creek.”
Rick Olden
“We catch everybody not making that curve (Abner Creek and Joe Leonard Road). I couldn’t be more proud of my neighbors. I heard what they said tonight and what they stand for. How do you change the character of greater Greer?
Others signed to speak but deferred to their family representatives or neighbors:
David Davidson
Kart Davidson
Jean Sightler
Patti Turner